No, The Dallas Cowboys Do Not Have A Quarterback Controversy

Let’s stop this before it begins: the Dallas Cowboys do not have a quarterback controversy on their hands. Dak Prescott will be starting under center for the rest of the season and likely into the distant future. A bad game in tough conditions against a great New York Giants defense on Sunday Night Football is not going to change that.

Yes, it has to be uncomfortable for Prescott to have a four-time Pro Bowler and long-time Cowboys starter sitting behind him on the bench. But the rookie’s performance this year has cemented his spot in Dallas and moved the team past the Tony Romo era. The team is thinking big this year, but also knows it has what could be one of the league’s premier backfields set for the next decade. Ezekiel Elliott and Prescott are the real deal and making any changes now would be foolish.

Cowboys head coach Jason Garrett clearly knows that and after Sunday night’s loss to the Giants, he reiterated that Prescott would be the team’s quarterback moving forward. Garrett said, “You can make it as simple or complex as you want to make it. It’s pretty simple for us. Dak’s going to play quarterback as we go forward.”

In the Cowboys’ 10-7 loss on Sunday night, Prescott was not good. He completed just 17 of 37 passes (45.9 percent) for 165 yards (4.46 yards per attempt), with one touchdown and two interceptions. His quarterback rating of 45.4 and Total QBR of 14.8 were both awful.

Against Minnesota in Week 13, Prescott wasn’t great either. He completed 12 of 18 passes for 139 yards with a touchdown and no interceptions. It was a pedestrian performance on the road in a 17-15 win.

While the last two weeks have been rough, what Prescott has done this season is remarkable. He has completed 65.8 percent of his passes for 3,139 yards, with 20 touchdowns and just four interceptions. His quarterback rating (102.7) ranks third in the NFL and his Total QBR (81.3) trails only Tom Brady’s. In short, he’s been phenomenal and has the Cowboys sitting at 11-2 with the best record in the NFL.

While I know the sports world thrives on controversy and hot takes, this speculation is ridiculous. As long as he’s healthy, Dak Prescott will be the quarterback in Dallas.

Ryan Phillips

Ryan is a San Diego-based blogger who is a 10-year veteran of the sports writing world. He holds a journalism degree from Indiana University (yes he left San Diego for Bloomington, Indiana voluntarily). He has no pets and a crippling addiction to HBOGo.